Perspective... A magical word!

When I woke up this morning and looked out the back door I was not surprised that the sky was yet again, a blanket of dreary, grey clouds. Just like yesterday, and the day before, and the day before... you get the picture! One thing I know for sure about myself is that I LOVE sunshine. The brightness, the heat, the warm feeling that it gives me not only on the outside but inside as well.

People... There is a reason why doctors diagnose us with seasonal depression. We need sunshine!

This has been a season of dreariness in Tennessee like have I have not experienced before. Day after day, the sun stays hidden behind clouds. Just like in life. We go through "seasons" where it feels the sun will never shine again. At every turn, it's as if the whole world is against us. Guess what... The sun is there. It may be hidden but it is still there. We have to choose to find it!

Even when we can't see the solution, or feel the love, or find the reason, we have a choice to make. We can focus on the negatives or CHOOSE to stay focused on the positives. We can believe in only we what see or we can have FAITH in the things unseen.

It's your CHOICE. No one can make it for you. Neither people or circumstances should effect our perspective. We should steer our own ship.

Here are 3 things I do everyday to make sure I am keeping a "sunny" perspective:

1. Pray! I start my morning with a one sentence prayer before my feet hit the ground. "God, help me to see the good in all things I encounter today."
2. I expect to FIND good in all circumstances so I LOOK for it. Sometimes it's harder to find than others but it is always there.
3. When I find myself in a negative environment, (whether I have created it or someone else has) I get out. I walk away or steer the conversation to a positive or just change the subject. This is the hardest of the 3 things to do but you have to do it in order to feel the sunshine even when you don't see it. 

By the way, I found the SUN today! Even in the middle of the clouds and snow falling all around me, I took a quick picture of that well hidden friend.